The Battle Adwa Day 2016

Memorable quotes from Raymond Jonas, The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011):

“Adwa reminds us that the only freedom we truly possess is the freedom we are able to defend. Only on the scale of Ethiopia itself could resistance have succeeded.

The Adwa campaign spanned five months and 580 miles. It was rivaled among nineteenth century military campaigns only by Napoleon’s Russian campaign, which took three months and logged 490 miles. Unlike Napoleon’s Russian campaign, the Adwa campaign ended in victory. This is greatness.

Finally, Adwa was a victory not only for Ethiopia but also for Africa and for people everywhere who stood athwart the presumed path of history.”